Wilhelma Zoo Wilhelma zoo, Stuttgart

And a few more updates from my visit last Tuesday
- There were offspring in the Von-Der-Decken Hornbills nesting box (no idea how many)
-The weavers (Ploceus cucullatus and nigerrimus castaneofuscus) build nests (Maybe that's why the vulture guinea fowl are gone, they weren't signed)
-The Violet-backed starlings were signed and i saw one (African free-flight aviary)
-The Blue-faced honeyeaters are stil there
-The Asian fairy-bluebird are gone and the Palawan peacock-pheasant was not in sight
-A new monitor enclosure is being built in the Terrarium
And has anyone seen a Horneo or its nest recently?
 
The Wilhelma is one important step closer to constructing a new 2 hectare elephant complex for a whopping 67 million euros. The federal region Baden-Würtemberg (who own the Wilhelma) have reserved some 50 million euros in their 2025-2026 budget for this project, with another 15 million euros already raised by the friends of the zoo. The budget still has to pass in parliament before the end of the year, but chances for that are good as it already has been approved by the cabinet (a coalition between christian democrats and the green party who also have a 2/3ds majority in parliament, at least one of the opposition parties is also in favour of funding the elephant house).

"Schwein gehabt": Grün-Schwarz kann vor Landtagswahl noch kräftig Geld verteilen

When construction would start and end is unclear, but don't expect much, as construction in the Wilhelma tends to be at a glacial pace.

For some drawings of the proposed complex, look here:
Zukünftige Projekte - Freunde und Förderer der Wilhelma
 
If you follow the Walsrode thread, you will know about the bird delivery from the USA. Some of these will most likely have gone to Wilhelma, as the only cotton-top pygmy geese in Europe are now kept there. Also new are the African pygmy geese and spotted crakes (European aviary).

It seems their new bird curator has taken his Walsrodean instincts with him after being head curator at Walsrode before :p
 
According ZTL many bird species have arrived (a few have been at Wilhelma since the beginning of the year):

• 5,4 Black-winged Mynahs from Walsrode
• 2,2 Yellow-breasted Fruit Dove (no idea from where)
• 0,1 Orange-fronted Fruit Dove from Leipzig
• 1,1 Spotted Thick-knee from Leipzig
• x,x Red-throated Parrotfinch (no idea from where)
• x,x White-naped Pheasant Piegon (n. i. f. w.)
• x,x Crowned Lapwing (n. i. f. w.)
• 2,0 Madagascar Blue Piegon from Walsrode
 
The Wilhelma can start with the new elephant house, in the biannual budget of Baden-Wurtemberg 51.2 million euros is reserved, together with 15 million euros from the "friends of the zoo", there are now enough funds for the 1.5 hectare construction

Mehr Platz für die Elefanten der Wilhelma: Landeshaushalt macht Weg für Neubau der Elefantenwelt frei.

The biannual budget also points to several smaller investments planned for 2025-2026:
- A Tasmanian devil exhibit (likely at the site of the former gibbon house) - 400.000 euros
- Refurbishing the infrastructure of the Subtropenterassen (parrot aviaries) - 600.000 euros
- new bird of prey aviaries - 400.000 euros
- A new flamingo house - 200.000 euros
- New indoor enclosure for cheetah - 100.000 euros
- Lion enclosure renovation - 200.000 euros
- A hyena enclosure (currently not kept) - 100.000 euros
- A California outdoor terrarium - 50.000 euros
- A new prairie dog enclosure - 50.000 euros
- New terraria for boas and pythons - 100.000 euros

Source page 180:
https://fm.baden-wuerttemberg.de/fi...n/Haushalt_25_26/Einzelplan06_Entwurf_web.pdf
 
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